Josiah yayasskur



(No-Model.)

J. VAVASSEUR;

GUN GARMAGE.

No, 342,403. Patented May 25, 1886.

will/1111M harsher rZiUN CARRIAGiE.

SPECITICATI-QN' forming part of Letters Patent No. 342,4;03, dated May 25, 1886.

application filed February 26, 185' Serial No. 193,290. (No mo el l To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSIAH Vavtssnon, of the London Ordnance Works, Southwark, in the county oflSnrrey, England, engineer, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gun-Carriages, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates gun-carriages.

When armor plates or shields are employed for the protection of the mounting and men working the gun, they are usually attached to some part of the mounting as an addition, and in most cases form no part of the mounting itself. In place of this arrangement I propose to form the front end of the mounting out of armor-plate two or more inches thick, (accord ing to the amount of piotection requireih) ex tending as close as practicable to the deck. A port cut out of this plate allows the gun to project through it. To this plate I attach the girders forming the slide along which the gun and its carriage recoils.

In order to enable the gun to run out by gravity after recoil, and at the same time to diminish the heavy strain on the deck or other support which is experienced when ordinary upwardly inclined slides are employed, I. make the guide-surfaces on the slide-girders curved on the face to the arc of a circle, and the under side of the gun-carriage 1 form to a corresponding curve. This arrangement admits of the gun at the commencement of the recoil receding in a horizontal line, or even downward, if desired, the direction of motion gradually changing as the gun comes in, so that by the time the recoil is completed the gun attains a position which enables it to run out by gravity.

In order to limit the amount of recoil within convenient limits, I attach one or more bydraulic compressor-cylinders to the mounting, so arranged as to offer the necessary resistance and arrest the recoil of the gun as desired. These compressor-cylinders I arrange, by preference, one on each sideof the slide, the cy1- inders of the compressor being attached by trunnion-bearings to the slide or armor-plate forming the end of the mounting and the piston-rod of the compressor to the carriage,

to improvements in which recoils with the gun. The gun after recoil is prevented running out by gravity by causing water or liquid to be forced, by a plunger connected with the gnu-carriage, into the compressor-cylinder to fill the space vacated by the piston-rod during recoil. When the gun is required to run out, this liquid is allowed to escape from the cylinder.

For the purpose of regulating the elevation of the gun, and in order that the recoil may take placeindependently ofthe elevating-gear, so that this gear may be Worked up to the moment of firing, I. cause the rear part of the gun to be supported upon a table of similar on rvature to that of the guide-faces of the slidegirdcrs which support the gun-carriage, and I provide elevating-gear by means of which this table can be raised or lowered, if desired, while the gun is being fired. With this or rangement the gun recoils parallel to itself, and the same elevation is maintained throughout the recoil. vertically; or, it' great accuracy be required, the movement may be caused to take place in a path of similar curvature to thatof the attachment to the gun.

\Vhen the gun and its carriage are in the firing position, the center ofthe trunnions may be forward of a line falling perpendicular from the center or point from which the curved part of slide is described, or it may be under this point. I this position, I provide springs, which are com.- pressed during the first part of the recoil, and which remain compressed until the gun runs out, when their elasticity is exerted to insure the gun being in the right position for firing and in maintaining it there during the rolling of the ship. These springs may be applied in connection with levers abutting against can} like surfaces upon the sides of the gun-carriage. The cam-like surface is so formed that it forces back the lever compressing the spring in the earlier part of the recoil, and during the re mainder of the recoil the lever remains stationary, or nearly so. The ends of the levers may be provided with rollers to bear against; the cam-surface. As the gun runs out, the

springs are inoperative so long as the gun is upon a steep portion of the incline; but when it is on the flatter or rising portion the spri n s,

To maintain the gun and carriage in" The table may rise and fall when the gun is back after recoil. Fig. 5 is a transverse section of a 'part of the mounting,

. showing the spring and-supports for same.

I form the front end of the mounting out of armor-plate two or moreinc'hesthick,according to the amount of protection required, as shown at a. Thearmor-plate extends down as closely as practicable to the deck or platform consti- 6o which recoils with the gun.

tuting the support on which the mounting is fitted. A port is cut in this plate to allow the gun to project.

To the plate a, I attach the girdersb, forming the slide, on the upper part of which the gun '0, with its-carriage d, recoils.

In order that the gun may run out by gravity after recoil, and at the'samctime to diminish the heavy strain caused on the deck or other support when the gun recoils on slides uniformly inclined upward to the rear, I make the guiding or slide surfaces on the slide-gird;

ers curved on the face concave upward, as. shown at c, tothe arc of a circle struck from a center at f, and the under side of the gun carriage I. make to a corresponding curve; The slides of the girdersand the engaging surfaces of the gun-carriage are curved upwardly from near their front ends to their elevated rear ends. By this arrangement the gun recedes at the commencement of the recoil in 'a horizontal direction or even 'slightlydownward, according to the position of the center g of the trunnions of the gun with respect to the center f of the curve. As the recoil continues, the direction of motion of the gun gradually changes, so that at the end of the recoil by gravity.

In order to keep the recoil within convenient limits, I arrange hydraulic compressoreylinders h, by preference in the position shown-, one on either-sided the slide. The cylinders are attached by trunnion-bearings h to the slide, and to the side protective plates, i, secured to the armor-plate u, formingthe end of the mounting. The piston-rods If of the cylinders are attached at h to thccarriage, The pistons h,I make with their valves for controlling the recoil. progressive]y closed during recoil by riflegroovcs in the cylinders, according to my systern, now well understood. .The piston-rods during recoil are drawn out of the cylinders,

Fig. 2 is a plan.

tliecarriage recoils ing recoil to till this void, so that the cylin- 7o 'ders are kept practically full throughout recoil, thus: I make or fit on the cylinders a second vertical cylinder, If, in which works'a plunger, 71, connected to the carriage by means of the connecting-rod 71 and pivot 11*. At the commencement of recoil the plunger is at the upper part of its cylinder, and descends proportionately as the recoil increases. The diameter and stroke of the plunger is so proportioned as to correspond to the diameter and stroke of the pistoirrod of the compressor cylinders. Asthc plungeris forced during recoil into its cylinder, it forces liquid into the compressor'cyl'inder past the valve h. A light spring, .h", tends to keep this valve on its seat. At the end of recoil the gun tends to run out and reverse the flow of liquid by the entry of the piston-rod into its cylinder. This action, combined with that of the spring /il,will shut the valve If andhold the gun in. To allow it to run out,the .valve II is forced from its seat by means of the screw 7:, so that liquid can pass into the plunger cylinder. If kept off its seat by the screw before firing, the gun will run out automatically.

Instead of employing the screw 11 and act ing on the valve 11", a small connecting-passage maybe made between the chambers above and below the valve h", and this passage closed by aplug or small valve, the latter only being worked as required to control the run-out of the gun, the largeryalve ll" acting automatically without requiring any attention. I prefer to fit plungers on both cylinders; but it is not necessary to fit the control-valve and regulating-screw on more than one.

To give more side protection, wing-shieldsmaybe attached to the plate i, as shown by dotted lines. e v

In order to form a connection between the two sides of thegun-carriage,l prefer to carry them up to a sutficient height, so that they may be coupled together by the plate K passing over the gun;- This plate also serves as a further protection to the guns crew.

To elevate the gun,and in order that the rethe gun is raised snfiieiently to run out again coil may take place independently of the elevating-gear, so that this gear may be Worked up to the moment offiring, I support the rear part of the gun upon a table, Z, of similar curvature to that of the slide-faces on which .Lslidinghloclc linens. nected to the gun by a piyot, Z, works on the top of this' table. The radius of curvature of the table is; so arranged that from the center of the pivot Z to the center in is equal to that "from the center of trunnions g to the centerf.

To clcvate'the gun,the table Z, provided with guides at l Z,is raised or lowered by means of I cause these valves on the pistons to bethe toothed rack Z formed on it,,int0 which gears the pinion Z driven from the handwheel Z through the shaft Z", int-ern'iediate wheels at "Z", shaft Z, and worm-Z", gearing with wheel Z on the axis of the pinion.

its

To prevent damage to the gear in consequence of any jump of the gun on firing, I prefer to connectthe worm-wheel and the pinion by means of friction cones or disks, so as to allow the gear to slip. With this arrangement the gun recoils parallel to itself, the same elevation being maintained throughout the recoil. The guides Z Z', for the rise and fall the table, may be either straight, or, if considered necessary to have the utmost accuracy in the recoil movement of the pivot with respect. to that of the trunn o s, the guide is may be curved, to cause the tablc'to move in path of similar curvature to that of the pivot. I

When the gun and carriage are in the liring position, the center 01' the truunious may be forward of a line )1, falling perpendicular from center j', or exactly under that center, as may be found most convenient. tain the gun and carriage in this position, I

side inside the slide, as shown by 1, 2i. 4, and 5. The springs are iucloscd in cases nected together by a plate,.1 p of the cases are screwed in giving the means of regulating the pressure exerted by the springs. Thespindlesp ofthesprings, against the heads of which the springs act, are connected to the levers q, also pivoted to the slide.- girders at q, and titled on the cross-shaft q". The upper part of each lever is arranged to bear, by means oi a roller, q, litted on it, against the face 1" of a slot formed on the inner cam-guide, s, of the carriage, and the press ure of the spring thus transmitted to the face 1' presses the gun out and maintains it in the firing )osit-ion, as in Figs. 1 and 3. On the gun re'cbi ling the lever q is forced down into the position shown in Fig. 4, compressing the springs, which then move nearly in the line. of pivots p q, and thus preventing the in creasedpressure having its effect against the carriage-during recoil, the roller then bearing against the face if of the cam-guide S. On the gun running out the roller iwill, as soon as the face 0' reaches it, begin to press against it and urge the gun outward with increasing effect as the line of action of the springs becomes more direct.

The mounting shown by the drawings is front pivoted at v, with front and rear train ing-rollcrs r r training-gear r, worked from I i i l i l fl The combination substantially 718 Set.

forth, oi the guu-slide, curved upwardly in the arc of a circle from near its front to its rear, the gun-carriage, similarly curved on its under surface and movingon said slide, and the gun mounted by its irunnions in the gun-carriage near its t'ront whereby in recoiling the incli nation of the gun increases as it approaches lo'mainthe position at which it comes to rest, for the purpose described. lit springs p, preferably one set, on either;

3. The combination consisting of a guni slide having curved guide-surfaces, a gun- )ivoted at f on the slideirders, and con- 2 The bottoms carriage traversing along the slide and carrying the trunnions oi the gun, a curved table supporting the gun behind the trunnions, and

, gear for raisin and lowerin thistableto ive a b b b the requisite elevation to the gun.

4. The combination of a gun-slide having guide-surfaces curved upwardly at the rear,

a gun-carriage similarly curved on its under surface and traversing along the slide, a hydraulic compressor connecting the slide with the carriage, a plunger moved by the gunmanriage and forcing liquid into the compressorcylinder when the gun recoils, and the valve for retarding or preventing the escape of this liquid and regulating the return of the gun to the firing position, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination of a gunslide having curved guide-surfaces extending upwardly at the rear, 3.- gun-carriage carrying the trunnions of the gun and traversing along the slide, the cam-guide of the carriage, and a spring supported by the gun-slide and acting on the cam-guide, substantially as and for the pin pose set forth.

JOSIAH YAVASSEUR.

\Vitnesses:

Hicninnrr E. DA 111-1, W. J AMES SICERTEX, Both ofl? twrareclnpeh Street, London, E. (I 

